EU banking unionPolitical Union Eurozone limits
  • What a banking union means for Europe
    Essay by Philip Whyte, 05 December 2012
    What a banking union means for Europe
  • Alice in euroland: What political union for the single currency?
    Insight by Philip Whyte, 09 October 2012
    Alice in euroland: What political union for the single currency?
  • Has the eurozone reached the limits of the politically possible?
    Insight by Simon Tilford, 12 July 2012
    Has the eurozone reached the limits of the politically possible?
  • How to avoid a eurozone debt crisis
    Opinion piece by Simon Tilford
    The Wall Street Journal, 24 February 2009

    Twelve months ago it seemed inconceivable that any European Union member could face a sovereign debt crisis. It would have been the stuff of fantasy to argue that Ireland or Austria could be among those at risk.
  • Germany: Between a rock and a hard place
    Insight by Simon Tilford, 19 February 2009

    Twelve months ago it seemed inconceivable that any member of the EU could face a sovereign debt crisis. It would have been the stuff of fantasy to argue that Ireland or Austria could be among those at risk.
  • The euro at ten: Is its future secure?
    Essay by Simon Tilford, 07 January 2009

    The euro is riding high and the financial crisis has illustrated the safe haven that membership provides. On the face of it, the future of the single currency looks rosy.
  • Lessons from the financial crisis: A twin-track response
    Briefing note by Philip Whyte, 05 November 2008

    The credit crunch has unleashed widespread anger outside the financial sector. And rightly so. Not only have taxpayers had to bail out an industry that is uncommonly well rewarded. But the effects of the credit crunch on the real economy are likely to be painful and prolonged – not least on the jobs market.

  • This is no time to listen to the siren call of the euro
    Opinion piece by Philip Whyte Simon Tilford
    The Guardian, 14 October 2008

    Since the Labour party entered office in 1997, the UK economy has become more "European". One of the government's first acts in office was to sign up to the EU's social chapter. It followed this with the introduction of a minimum wage in 1999, along with sustained increases in public expenditure.
  • Time for the Export-Weltmeister to start consuming
    Insight by Simon Tilford, 13 February 2008

    Too many Europeans are blaming the US for the economic slowdown in Europe, as if everything would have been fine if only the Americans were not so irresponsible. This is complacent.
  • Politics, Sarkozy and the euro
    Bulletin article by Philip Whyte, 03 December 2007

    Not long after its launch, the euro was famously dismissed by a disgruntled currency trader as a “toilet currency”. How things have changed. Since 2003, the euro’s external value has soared, particularly against the US dollar.
  • Could the euro rule supreme? It's not worth it
    Opinion piece by Simon Tilford
    Financial Times, 27 November 2007

    In the 1970s, John Connally, President Richard Nixon's treasury secretary, famously quipped to a group of visiting Europeans that "the dollar may be our currency, but it's your problem".